Complete Facts of the Day Agriculture employs 20% of the U.S. workforce, or about 21 million people.—2002 USDA Ag Census Agriculture employs 21 million people—more than seven times as many workers as the U.S. automotive industry. Agriculture stands out as a sector of the economy that consistently runs a trade surplus (exports totaled $115 Billion in 2008 and exceeded imports by $34 Billion). According to a 2006 USDA study, agricultural exports generated 841,000 full-time civilian jobs, including 482,000 jobs in the nonfarm sector. Americans spend just 9.8% of their income on food—less than consumers in any other country. U.S. farms sold $297 billion in goods in 2007—that’s bigger than the GDP of Ireland, Finland, Hong Kong or the United Arab Emirates. For every dollar Americans spend on food, farmers only get 20 cents. Of the $4.49 retail price of an 18oz box of cereal, farmers receive just 9¢. Of the $2.99 retail price of a 1lb loaf of bread, farmers receive just 12¢. Of the $1.49 retail price of 2-liter bottle of soda, farmers receive just 7¢. America has the cheapest, safest, most abundant food supply in the world. 91% of Americans think it is important to produce food domestically. 95% of U.S. farms are run by families, farmer partnerships or co-ops—less than 5% are corporate farms. Today's farmer provides food and fiber for about 140 people—up from just 19 people in 1940. Pharmaceuticals...paint...fuel...cosmetics...crayons. These are just some of the everyday products made possible by U.S. farms. X-ray film…adhesives...ink...toothpaste. These are just some of the everyday products made possible by U.S. farms. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing depends on farmers to produce paper currency—75% of every bill is made of cotton. Farmers’ input costs, for things like fertilizer and crude oil products, significantly outpaced commodity price increases in 2007 & 2008. Fresno, California is the top-producing county in America when it comes to agricultural products. Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kentucky have the most farms. California, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas have the highest agriculture sales. Commodity programs in the 2008 farm bill cost less than one-quarter of one percent of the federal budget—about 25 cents out of every $100 paid in taxes. Only 10% of funding in the farm bill goes to farm programs. More than 70% of farm bill-related spending goes to food and nutrition programs like food stamps, not to farmers. The farm bill invests $406 billion over 10 years in nutrition programs, helping more than 38 million Americans afford healthy meals and updating the Food Stamp Program to reflect today’s challenges. The farm safety net was cut by $3.5 billion in the 2008 farm bill. Factor in cuts to crop insurance and farmers’ funding fell $7.4 billion. U.S. commodity programs cost Americans just 2.3 cents per meal or 6.9 cents a day. The farm bill makes a substantial new investment of $1.3 billion for programs to promote the production and consumption of fruits and vegetables. The farm bill includes new funding for organic farmers, including $78 million for organic research and $230 million for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative. The farm bill significantly expands funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program to $250 million per year for food banks. The farm bill includes $5 million per year for innovative community projects like the Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center Program, which will provide grants to programs that improve access to fresh foods in isolated urban and rural food deserts. The farm bill expands the USDA Snack Program nationwide, which helps schools provide healthy snacks and educate kids about the importance of healthy eating. Compared to other major agricultural producers around the globe, the U.S. ranks near the bottom of the subsidization and tariff scale. The farm bill provides more than $54 billion in conservation program spending to protect and enhance water, air, and soil quality; to prevent erosion; and to conserve natural resources. More than 1,000 farm, nutrition and conservation organizations supported the 2008 farm bill. The farm bill provides $1.1 billion for renewable energy programs which will encourage the development of cellulosic biofuels and decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Over the life of the 2008 farm bill, total conservation spending increases from $3.7 billion in 2008, to $6.9 billion in 2019. Agricultural land provides habitat for 75% of the nation's wildlife. About 40% of the country is farmland—that’s an area nine times the size of California and greater than twice the size of Alaska. "Our farmers deserve praise, not condemnation; and their efficiency should be cause for gratitude, not something for which they are penalized." - President John F. Kennedy "Cultivators are the most valuable citizens…they are tied to their country." - President Thomas Jefferson "In no other country do so few people produce so much food, to feed so many, at such reasonable prices." - President Dwight D. Eisenhower "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field." - President Dwight D. Eisenhower "It will not be doubted that with reference either to individual or national welfare, agriculture is of primary importance." - President George Washington “Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.” - William Jennings Bryan "The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways." - President John F. Kennedy